ARCHERY & SCOUTING

PRESENTATION POINTS:• Equipment & Safety• Personal Safety• Facility Safety• 10 steps to good shooting

Kathleen Millar, CAE, OCT

NCCP Level 4 Coach

EQUIPMENT SAFETY• Stringing & Unstringing a recurve bow

Use of a proper stringer at all timesThings to look out for

Deciding who will string/unstring the bows• Arrow rests• Nocking Point• String• Arrows• Accessories

Recurve BowNomenclature

Arrow Nomenclature

NOCK FLETCHING CRESTING SHAFT POINT

Eitherfeathers orPlastic

PERSONAL SAFETY• Clothing (snug-fit tops, no buttons on

breast pockets, appropriate footwear)• Glasses & anchor point• Determining eye dominance• Sizing arrow length• Assessing physical strength• Emergency Action Plan• Make classes interesting & discipline will

not be an issue

ADAPTED ARCHERY

FACILITY SAFETY• INDOOR RANGETarget or 3DNetting, floor protection, fire exits, shooting

line, shooting control• OUTDOOR RANGETarget, field or 3DNetting, shooting line,shooting control

INDOOR TARGETFloor Shooting area must be smooth and free of unnecessary objects.

Range Layout A backstop net should be hung behind the targets.

Safety Zones• There must be at least 1m between the net and the wall.• There must be at least 3m behind the shooting line. During a

competition, this safety zone must be at least 5m.• The height of the shooting area must be at least:

– 3m when shooting up to 35m– 4m when shooting between 40 and 45m– 5m when shooting between 50 and 55m– 6m when shooting 60m and more

Ventilation Practice should take place in a well ventilated area.

Access • Doors or windows situated in front of or beside the shooting line must be

bolted shut.• Entrances situated in front or beside the shooting line must be controlled

during shooting. Also, a screen should be installed to protect anyoneentering the range.

LAYOUT FOR INDOOR FACILITY_____________________________________________________________

Wall

1-2 m____________________________________________________

Netting or Backstop

2 m___________________________________________________

Targets

18 m___________________________________________________

Shooting LineXX XX - Group left-handed shooters

3-5 mFree space / waiting area

___________________________________________________

OUTDOOR TARGETTerrain• The shooting area must be smooth/flat and free of unnecessary

objects.Range Layout• Minimum space of 80 cm per athlete on the shooting line• Wheelchair athletes need additional space• When the public has the right of access or in a residential area,

suitable barriers must be erected around the range to keepspectators back, at least 20 meters away from the ends of thetarget line

• Maintain a margin of approximately 13 meters from the target linewhen the targets are moved forward to 30 meters. The barriers willbe at least at 50 meters beyond the 90 meters target line. Thesafety distance of 50 meters may be reduced if an adequatebackstop e.g. efficient netting, a bank or similar device is erected(not a Hedge or penetrable fence). The backstop must be highenough to stop arrows which have just missed the top of the buttsat 90 meters. Considerations should also be given to anydistractions caused to the athletes by movement of people, etcbehind the butts.

OUTDOOR TARGET• A target range situated near a residential zone must be

marked off by a warning tape 1m from the ground. The tapemust be placed at least 10m behind the furthest target, andon each side of the shooting area where it is adjacent to athoroughfare.

• A clearly labelled sign, indicating «Danger, archery zone, Notraffic allowed» must be placed at all access paths andbehind the targets.

• Should a shooting lane run parallel to a thoroughfare, theremust be an empty space/safety zone between the shootinglane and the thoroughfare. The empty shooting lane must beat least 20m for every 10m of distance difference between theshooting line and the line of targets.

• There must be a safety zone of at least 3 m behind theshooting line.

• The shooting line must be marked clearly.• The demarcation lines must be visible. They must cross the

shooting area’s length and width, and outline the shootinglanes.

Recommendations:

Layout /Design1. When setting up an outdoor shooting range, it is

suggested that targets be placed north-north-west of the shooting line and the shooting lineshould be situated south-south east.

2. For long-distance shooting or clout, use a large,vacant and isolated area.

3. A warm-up or practice area should be providedfor outdoor tournaments whenever possible.

10 STEPS TO GOOD SHOOTING

Stance:Take a position on the shooting line withthe left side facing the target.

Left-handed people substitute right for left.

The feet are spread comfortably apart, andthe body weight distributed evenly on bothfeet.

The shoulders line up with an imaginaryline drawn from the centre of the target tothe archer.

Nocking the Arrow

Hold the bow in the vertical position,with the string against the inside of the arm.

Pull an arrow from the quiver, and lay thearrow across the bow on the arrow restand rotate the shaft until the index featheris perpendicular to the bow.

Then draw the arrow toward the string sothe bowstring enters the arrow nock at thenocking point on the string.Continue to exert a slight pressure until thestring is placed under tension by the thrustof the arrow.

YOU SHOULD HEAR A “CLICK”.

The arrow is not held or drawn back bythe fingers. The point on the string wherethe arrow is nocked is built up to fit into thenock of the arrow snugly so when thestring is drawn back the arrow comes withit.

Bow hand and armThe hand that holds the bow is called

the bow hand.

The "V" formed by the thumb and thefore-finger is directly behind thebow so when the bow is pulled,pressure will be felt on the thick,fleshy base of the thumb.

The bow is held with a loose relaxedgrip. The archer may use a fingersling as a method of controlling thebow when using a relaxed grip.

It is important that the bow is placedin exactly the same position in bow

hand for each shot.

If the bow sling is too tight, it willrestrict the bow's movement.

The elbow of the bow arm is straightbut not locked. To get themaximum clearance the elbow isrotated so the point of the elbowfaces away from the string.

The drawing hand

The string is drawn with the first three fingers ofthe right hand (for a right-handed shooter).

The thumb and smallest finger are not used andare relaxed in the palm of the hand. Hook thefingers around the string.

The index finger is placed above the arrow andthe other two below. The string cuts acrossthe second and third fingers of the drawinghand in line with the joint nearest thefingertips. No attempt is made to turn thehand on an angle to try to place the string inthe crease of all three fingers.

Set the hook of the fingers at more than rightangles to the hand/wrist line.

This will then allow for the natural flexing of thefingers as the weight is applied to them duringthe draw. The slight straightening or flexingwhich occurs assists in keeping the arrowagainst the arrow rest during the draw, anchorand hold stages of the shooting sequence.

The back of the hand and the wrist are in astraight line to the elbow joint. Do not cup thehand. Do not allow the string hand to rotateduring the draw. Keep it in the same positionthroughout the draw.

Drawing the arrow(with a sighting aid)

A sighting aid is used on the bowto assist the archer to aim.

There are differences between thetwo methods of anchoring.

The index finger of the drawinghand comes back along thejawbone until the stringtouches the centre of the chin

and nose. The string bisectsthe centre of the nose and chinand the string hand is in firmcontact with the jaw- bone.The mouth should remainclosed when the string isdrawn.

Drawing the arrow (without a sighting aid): Efficiency in this method of shootingdemands a great deal of practice. Judgement of elevation is required to hit a target.The archer "high anchor" positions the sighting eye directly over the arrow so theline of sight and the line of flight are similar by:- extend the bow hand toward the target- pulling back steadily with the drawing hand, keep the elbow of the drawing handhigh and parallel with the arrow, until the forefinger of the drawing hand touchesthe corner of the mouth.

The anchor(facial reference)

With both styles of anchor be surethe fingers of the string handtouch the side of the face orunder the jawbone firmly.

The position must be replicatedexactly with each shot toensure consistent arrowelevation. This keeps the nockend of the arrow in the sameplace every time an arrow isshot.

Do not allow the string hand to"creep" forward from thisposition.

Holding and aiming(with a sighting aid)

After the archer is at full draw, thestring, sight and target are linedup. The sight pin must bepositioned on the centre of thetarget.

“Back tension” is needed to maintainthis position while aiming iscompleted.

For sight correction, the archermoves the sight pin in thedirection the arrow went (e.g., ifthe arrow impacts higher than thecentre, move up the sight pin).

Holding and aiming (without a sighting aid): It is a matter of lining up the arrowwith a point on the target. Depending upon the distance shot, there may be a gapabove or below the middle of the target where the point must be lined up to hit themiddle of the target. Repeat that "picture" of the bow and target consistently.

ReleasingA dynamic release is the

normal reaction of thedrawing hand moving backas the string rolls off thefingers.

This short backwardmovement of the hand iscaused by the continuedtension of the backmuscles.

The release is achieved byrelaxing the fingers thathold the string.

In this method, the fingers arenot pulled away from thestring, only allowed to relaxas the torso muscles pullthe string securely againstthe chin.

(along the side of the cheekfor a “high anchor”)

Follow through& Relaxation

The follow through is as important inarchery as it is in any other sport.

Considerable effort is necessary tohold the full draw position. It isnatural to relax after the releaseaction takes place. Many archers

relax before the arrow leaves thebow, with the result that the bowhand drops at the moment ofrelease.

Ensure the bow hand, and the stringhand, remains at the same

elevation after release until thearrow hits the target.

Then check the position of bothhands to be sure the correctfollow through has been achieved.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

• Federation of Canadian Archers, Inc- Range Safety Officer guide & test- CanBow programme, kits, DVD- FCA rulebook- FCA website: www.fca.ca• Ontario Association of Archers, Inc- OAA website:https://www.oaa-archery.on.ca/index.php